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Sunday, 23 December 2012

The lack of zeal

I find that the Church Militant is weaker in Europe than in the States and I am wondering why. Part of the history of Europe, that is wars and internecine hatreds, make people nervous about standing up for Truth. The Pope's latest statement on the necessity for civilization to maintain family values, such as marriage as being a sacrament between a man and a woman, was practically ignored except for the Vatican news agencies. There are several popular Catholic newspapers and periodicals, the best being the Catholic Herald. But, what amazes me is the silence from the pulpit. Also, the laity do not organize themselves as we do in the States, as used to we are to grass-roots politics. It just does not happen here. The petition against civil marriages was found in the back of some churches, but not all, and the success was owing to the laity passing the word around.

I am saddened that there is a lack of courage. I had a person say to me a few days, asking me, where are the courageous people in Ireland and England? This woman was on retreat where I was and she was shocked at the lack of support for the pro-life movement here. The same thing happened in Eire, when, at the pro-life rally, over 10,000 people did not have a petition to sign. Why not? Why was not the political will organized to follow up on the energy of the people? Why are people hesistant about taking control of local groups and getting organized? There are no boycotts against companies that support civil marriage or abortion.

I wish that Europeans would explain why there is a lack of courage and a lack of zeal for what our Pope and some of our bishops are so openly strong at defending-marriage, life, natural law.

3 comments:

As for Russia, we're too poor to participate in boycotes, so our goverment does with us everything it want's, though it pretends it also adherts to Christian morals. Defeat abortion in Russia - very hard job, though we're defenetely making good progress.

I'm wrighting this, because by any measure Russia and especialy Moscow is also a part of Europe, though a very part indeed.

Michael, Christians in your country have suffered more than most. I admire your faith. God bless your work. It is almost impossible to change so many years of suppression. The countries which have not experienced such persecutions as yours has have no excuses.

Think how much worse it is for us who have been active in the prolife movement in Ireland for decades. The suffering is almost unbearable. There have been many petitions over the years. This past year, it's been mostly paper and electronic postcard petitions to the Taoiseach, Government Ministers and other parliamentarians. As you may know, the Unite for Life rally on 4th December was organised by all the main prolife groups cooperating officially for the first time. Yesterday, I was at a short vigil in Belfast outside the premises of a Marie Stopes office that claims to offer the killing of unborn children by chemicals up to 9 weeks of age in contravention of the law. There were only a couple of hundred people there, sadly. The next Unite for Life rally in Dublin is on Saturday, 19th January.

Leon Bloy

Guild of Blessed Titus Brandsma

The Church Must Not Be Defensive

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Too many Church leaders do not think, or do not think as Catholics

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GUILD PRAYER

God our Father, source of life and freedom, through Your Holy Spirit you gave the Carmelite, Titus Brandsma the courage to affirm human dignity even in the midst of suffering and degrading persecution.

Grant us that same spirit so that, in refusing all compromise with error we may always and everywhere give coherent witness to Your abiding presence among us.